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Biography of C.C. McDonald

Charles Casto McDonald was a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). He participated in the Columbia River Study from 1946 to 1956. During this study, officials from the United States and Canada sought a joint solution to the flooding caused by the unregulated Columbia River and to the postwar demand for greater energy resources. That effort culminated in the Columbia River Treaty, an international agreement between Canada and the United States for the cooperative development of water resources regulation in the upper Columbia River Basin. McDonald moved to Washington, D.C. in 1956 to become Chief of USGS’s General Hydrology Branch and served as an advisor to the negotiating team as the Columbia River Treaty was being developed. From 1960 to 1967 he was Project Hydrologist in charge of the Lower Colorado River Basin Project which involved a general appraisal of the water resources of that area. From 1967 to 1969, McDonald served as USGS representative on the interagency committees studying the water resources of the Colorado River below Lees Ferry as required by the Water Resources Planning Act of 1965.

Scope and Content

The collection contains correspondence (1960-1968), government documents pertaining to the Lower Colorado River Basin (LCRB), and manuscripts concerning investigations, questions of policy on the LCRB Project, and comments by the Commissioner of Reclamation. There are bulletins, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, periodicals, and reprints primarily about the LCRB Project and other questions regarding water resources. Also included are reports on the Columbia River Basin and the LCRB Project. Included is a map of the Columbia River Basin (1958).

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Processing Information

Acquisition Information

This material was received from C.C. McDonald in 1979.

Related Materials

There are no known other archival collections created by C.C. McDonald at the date of processing.

Access Terms

Colorado River Watershed (Colo.-Mexico)

Columbia River Watershed.

Geological Survey (U.S.). -- Water Resources Division.

Hydrology -- West (U.S.)

Rivers -- Regulation.

Water conservation -- West (U.S.)

Water conservation projects -- United States.

Water resources development -- West (U.S.)

Water supply -- West (U.S.)

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